Safer Curriculum Chemical Management in Schools

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Safer Curriculum Chemical Management in Schools

• Karen Teliha
• Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management
• Office of Pollution Prevention Technical
  Assistance
• Slides and graphics used with permission from US
  EPA.

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Think your school lab is safe?

• Are You Sure?
• Unlabeled Mystery Chemicals
• Heavy Containers on High Shelves
• Outdated Chemicals
• Incompatible Storage (corrosives on
  metal/flammables on wood)
• Unlocked/Easily Accessible Storage

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Why might schools have difficulty properly
managing chemicals?

• Lack of communication across Academic,
  Administrative, Facilities departments
• Facilities often not built for handling chemicals
  (ventilation, storage problems)
• Lack of funds/planning for disposal costs

• Lack of training
• Lack of system
• Lack of somebody in charge (add-on duty)
• Inherited chemicals
• Spend it or lose it monies

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Chemical Storage

• What you may be doing now
• Storing Chemicals Alphabetically Could result
  in incompatible chemicals stored next to each
  other
• A safer alternative
• Storing by Chemical Group All nitrates
  together, sulfates together (can be alphabetical
  within their groups)

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Alphabetical Storage Problems with
Incompatibility
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Incompatible Storage Shelves
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Chemical Inventory

• Having a good inventory system helps to properly
  manage/maintain a safer lab.
• By knowing what you have, you can use it more
  efficiently
• Helps teachers track what they use each year
  versus what can be disposed of
• Helps teachers organize chemicals by their
  properties (flammability, reactivity, acids)

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Material Safety Data Sheets

• Recommend a binder
• A copy in the lab
• A copy in the school office

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Labeling
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Stockpiling/Overpurchasing
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The Dirty Dozen

• Barium chloride
• Benzene
• Carbon disulfide
• Carbon tetrachloride
• Cyanide compounds
• Formaldehyde

• Hydrofluoric acid
• Mercury compounds
• Picric acid
• Potassium metal
• Sodium metal
• Thermit

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Mercury

• Remove from your school lab
• Bulk Mercury
• Mercury Containing Equipment (thermometers)
• Call Emergency Response if a Mercury Spill is
  suspected
• 1-888-233-7745 outside 317 Area Code233-7745
  inside 317 Area Code

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Unlocked Storage
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Longer Term Goals

• 1. Develop a chemical management system
• Purchase
• Storage, including labeling
• Use, including labeling
• Disposal
• Emergency Planning spills, explosions,
  accidents

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• 2. Use safer chemicals less too
• Order min quantities, consistent with use
• Try to keep only 1 years worth stock
• Prohibit certain chemicals, period.(hazard
  potential outweighs educational potential?)

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• 3. Order safer alternatives, packaging,
  dilutions, kits
• Green chemistry
• Microscale approaches (e.g. spot plates instead
  of test tubes)
• 4. Centralize inventory/purchasing

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• 5. Regularly budget for removals(Cradle to
  grave)
• Address chemical issues in context with other
  environmental concerns
• - As science teachers, its important were not
  only teaching chemistry/biology, but also
  teaching about being safe.

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Resources

• School Chemistry Laboratory Safety Guide,
  Consumer Product Safety Commission, www.cpsc.gov,
  
• Material Safety Data Sheets www.siri.org/
• Flinn Scientifcwww.flinnsci.com/

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• Council of State Science Supervisors
• Making the Connection
• Science Safety Its Elementary
• www.csss-science.org/safety.htm
• Rehab the Lab, Safe labs that dont
  pollutewww.govlink.org/hazwaste/schoolyouth/rehab
  /

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• EPAs School Chemical Cleanout Campaignwww.epa.go
  v/sc3
• EPAs Healthy School Web Portalwww.epa.gov/school
  s
• EPAs Mercury Web Sitewww.epa.gov/mercury
• Mercury in Schools Projectwww.mercuryinschools.uw
  ex.edu/